


Men Of Ambition

by GoofyGoldenGirl



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon | Pokemon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon Versions
Genre: Arguing, Arora-chichou | Alola, Character Dynamics, Character Study, Conflict of Interests, Evil Plans, Gen, Ideology, Minor Violence, Team Rainbow Rocket - Freeform, Villains, meetings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-23
Updated: 2018-02-23
Packaged: 2019-03-23 01:07:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13776456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoofyGoldenGirl/pseuds/GoofyGoldenGirl
Summary: “Gentlemen, look at how far we all have come. Aren’t weallmen of ambition? Do we not possess the drive to pursue our dreams? Do we not conspire to change the world? To mold and shape it to fit our desires?”





	Men Of Ambition

The boardroom’s doors were locked. The window shades were drawn low, preventing the sunlight from filtering in. What little sunlight managed to pass took on a red glow, blending in with the panel lights that shone from above. The meeting was about to commence. Giovanni, the infamous crime lord from Kanto, sat at the head of the table. He surveyed the five men he had picked, glancing over each one before clearing his throat to get their attention. He interlaced his hands together and sat forward in his chair.

“Gentlemen. Welcome.” 

He was met by silence. Lysandre, who stooped over his spot at the opposite end clenched his hands over the table like a pyroar sinking its claws into its prey. Hatred flared in his eyes, and his mouth started to stretch into a sneer before common sense took over him and resumed his stoic glance. Ghetsis, on Lysandre’s left adjusted his monocle before returning Giovanni’s gaze to assess him like he was doing to the group. Maxie, who sat next to Ghetsis wore a confused expression before glancing across the table to give his rival Archie a dirty look. Archie responded in kind, with clenched teeth and a balled fist that threatened to crash down on the table. Cyrus, who had intentionally distanced himself from the group as much as the table’s space could allow, shot Giovanni a threatening glance before his cold grey eyes turned towards the others.

“Shall I introduce myself?” 

“We would be fools not to know who you are Mr. Sakaki. If you haven’t paved the way with your ambition, we wouldn’t have had the incentive to carry out our plans in the first place,” red light bounced off of Ghetsis’ monocle.

Giovanni chuckled. 

“You flatter me Ghetsis. I had no idea that I would inspire so many. But, please, there is no need for formalities here. Call me Giovanni,” he responded.

Cyrus made a sound of disapproval and crossed his arms.

“With all due respect, I doubt that your attempt at a _warm welcome_ will be received considering that you have plucked us from our own worlds at the moment when victory was within our grasp. If I could be angry at you Giovanni, I would.” 

Lysandre shot Giovanni another look of upmost loathing. 

“Your reputation proceeds you,” he hissed.

Giovanni ignored Lysandre and Cyrus’ comments and faced the group again.

“Gentlemen. I am sure you are wondering why I have called upon you,” he started.

Giovanni made a sweeping gesture out with his palm facing up. He pointed first at Archie and Maxie. 

“Two university professors, both renowned for their groundbreaking research on the earth’s natural heating and cooling cycles,” he gestured over at Archie and Maxie. 

Archie let out a self-assured _hah._ Maxie quietly nodded, pleased that he was being recognized at last. 

“A scientist who has made advancements in understanding and unlocking other dimensions.”

Cyrus’ stoic expression did not change. Giovanni gestured over towards Ghetsis. 

“A pokemon activist who has challenged long standing conventions that have been in place for hundreds of thousands of years.” 

Ghetsis made no attempt to hide his gloating. He manically grinned, the glint on his monocle appeared to pop, and he stifled back a laugh.

The CEO of Kalos’ most successful and innovative tech company.”

Lysandre’s eyebrows furrowed. He pressed down harder on the edge of the table. 

“Gentlemen, look at how far we all have come. Aren’t we _all_ men of ambition? Do we not possess the drive to pursue our dreams? Do we not conspire to change the world? To mold and shape it to fit our desires?”

Giovanni leaned in closer towards the group and flashed them a shark-like grin. 

“You all at this moment may be focusing on our differences. But I know that we are more _alike_ than what you might believe.”

The group processed Giovanni’s words in silence. No one gave a clear indication of what they thought except for Cyrus and Lysandre, who both clearly disagreed. 

Although he was sitting right next to Giovanni, Maxie tilted his head and squinted at him. 

“What exactly do you want from us?” He asked.

“I am not asking for much. I only need your _cooperation,”_ Giovanni answered. 

Lysandre’s eyes burned. His face, already red from the lights’ glow, flushed a deep crimson. His arm pulled back, hand flattened and slammed down on the table with a bang.

“I rather be **damned** than work with the likes of you!” Lysandre exclaimed. 

“Why Lysandre, I have not had a chance to speak of what this cooperation entails,” Giovanni calmly responded.

“You plan on negotiating this meeting like one of your business deals, but I will not be swayed by your niceties, and your selling points filled with empty promises. I am a man of virtue and I will not be tainted by your **filth.** I have heard of your organization’s nefarious deeds. How you traffic pokemon and sell them off to the highest bidder who force them to work to the point of **death.** Of your control over the drug trade that has left **thousands** addicted across Kanto. The prostitution rings set up in every city that **prey** upon helpless girls. You and your **ideals** Giovanni, **disgust** me to my very core,” Lysandre spat. 

Anger flashed on Giovanni’s face for a split second. His arm made a movement as if to lunge forward at Lysandre but stopped. He rested his hands over the table and looked right at Lysandre.

“From what I’ve heard about _you_ Lysandre, you fare no better. You talk about your disdain for crime, yet the laws that your team actively broke to further your goals are numerous. And isn’t killing off an entire region to start a new one, unthinkable, even _sinful?_ ”

“Every action I take is an **evil necessity.** I never claimed I was proud of them,” Lysandre angrily replied. 

“You both are hypocrites,” Cyrus monotonically interjected. “You are what society considers to be morally reprehensible, and yet you judge each other based on concepts they _want_ you to believe in. And because you believe in their ideas of right and wrong, you let your passions overwhelm you and prevent you from taking the action you wish to carry out. I do not want to be associated with those who care about how they are perceived, and resort to displaying foolish behavior to keep up appearances. Like that man is doing over there.”

Cyrus pointed at Ghetsis.

“What are you talking about?” Ghetsis asked.

“I can see through your act. You think that if you can ingratiate yourself with Giovanni that you will be rewarded. You tell him that you admire him, that he inspires you, when in reality, he has not had an impact on any of our long term plans. That Kalosian man rants about how Giovanni’s organization treats pokemon, something that your organization claims, a word that suggests uncertainty, to care about. But you do not care about the wellbeing of pokemon. You only care about them if they happen to present an opportunity to benefit you. Which is how everyone else here feels.”

Ghetsis’ calm demeanor broke. He sharply turned towards Cyrus and pushed himself up out of his seat.

“Why you—“

“You have become angry and wish to attack me based on an observation that I have made. You let your primitive instincts take over any sense of rationality you possess. It almost makes me want to laugh,” Cyrus flatly said. 

Cyrus’ nonchalant reaction surprised Ghetsis. He sunk back down in his seat and muttered something under his breath about that _blasted Sinnohan_

Giovanni cleared his throat again. 

“As I was saying gentlemen, I believe that we can combine our efforts to execute our goals. This dimension’s Alola is ripe for the taking, like a fresh fruit dangling from a low branch of a tree. Imagine our visions becoming reality with _no one_ to stop us.”

Wonder glowed in Archie’s eyes. He straightened his slouch up and in his excitement, projected his naturally loud voice into a grating boom.

“Why haven’t I thought of it before? I thought this guy trapped me here, but really it’s a blessing in disguise. This place is perfect! The sea is endless and stretches as far as the eye can see. With Kyorge’s power, I can turn the earth back to its original form and life will flourish!”

“Are you as idiotic as ever?” Maxie cooly shot back. “If life continued in the seas there would be no _variety_ in evolution. It was the _land,_ with its diverse _environments_ that allowed humans and pokemon a chance to thrive! This is why we need to call upon Groudon’s power to expand the continents and Alola’s four islands provide the perfect opportunity to do so.”

“You’re wrong!” Archie propped himself over the table.

“Wrong? You should listen to yourself? An endless sea? Do you plan on wiping out humanity with the _tides?_ ” Maxie jabbed his finger at Archie.

“Without water all life will _die!_ ” Archie shouted.

“Water is important for sustaining life but not as a _habitat_ you spineless cretin!” Maxie retorted.

Giovanni rose to his feet. The lights shone down directly upon him, cloaking him in a red that burned like the fires of hell. His fist rose and crashed down on the table.

**”Gentlemen.“**

Archie and Maxie quickly settled back into their seats. They both went quiet and shamefully held their heads down as they felt Cyrus’, Lysandre, and Ghetsis’ stares upon them. Giovanni cleared his throat again. 

“I can assure you, each and every _one_ of you that your goals will be met. As I had said: Alola is like a fruit, ripe for the taking. And like a fruit, it can be partaken in many ways. Wouldn’t you rather have a decently sized territory to rule over instead of a region too vast to even know how to deal with?”

The wheels were turning in Archie’s, Maxie’s, and Ghetsis’ eyes. Cyrus sternly gazed at them. 

“You _humans_ are so predictable. You take to this man’s words like a flock of mareep following their herder. How long will it be until the herder leads them from the safety of the pasture and out towards the cliffs, where he steps aside to let them fall to their demise?” Cyrus stated.

“Must you be intent on ruining _everything_ with your cynicism?” Ghetsis sneered at him.

“He has a point,” Lysandre piped up. “You should all be **ashamed** of yourselves. Men of **intellect** falling for the words of a simple **conman!** ”

Rage washed over Giovanni again. He shot up from his seat. His chair toppled over, foot kicked back, and in a flash he grabbed Lysandre from behind. With a shout, Lysandre lashed about, but Giovanni, despite his short stature only tightened his grip. He maneuvered Lysandre’s arms back, and his right hand went to the top of his head. His fingers gripped strands of Lysandre’s hair and pulled up as hard as he could. Lysandre’s head was yanked back and then forward with a sickening crack as his face hit the table.

Archie jumped back in his seat with a shout. Maxie gasped and two shaking hands shot up to cover his mouth. Cyrus remained emotionless and unmoved. Ghetsis had been reduced to hysterics, his eyes wild with glee, laughs coming out as shrieks as he watched Lysandre cry out in pain. Giovanni finally let go with a smirk. He brushed his hands together and gazed out to address the rest.

“Any more questions gentlemen?”

Lysandre whimpered. He slowly began to lift up his head, revealing the circular dent in the table. Blood gushed through the cracks in his fingers and splattered down.

No one else said anything. Giovani raised his hands again and clapped them together.

“That concludes our meeting. You are dismissed.”

There came a click as the door was unlocked. Archie and Maxie, terrified, ran out of the room as fast as they could. Cyrus walked slow, with his hands in his pockets, and a cool gaze focused out at the hall ahead. Lysandre sunk down again into the table, too weak to even more. Giovanni with a smile, began to leave but was stopped by a voice.

“I do have a question if you don’t mind.”

Ghetsis had caught up with him. Giovanni turned with a nod.

“How on earth did you manage to revive Team Rocket without anyone noticing?”

Giovanni shot Ghetsis a confused look.

“What on earth are you talking about?”

“I mean after that trainer, that prodigy beat you, you’ve been on the run ever since. No one has heard from you in ten years,” Ghetsis explained.

Giovanni’s lips parted into an _o._ He nodded.

“Ah I see. What happened in my universe was quite different than what transpired in yours.”

“Were you victorious?” Ghetsis asked. 

An evil grin crept up Giovanni’s cheeks.

“When I was finished with that battle, that annoying little brat lay _dead_ at my feet. My forces engaged in a battle of their own with the police and overcame them. Within two days I had control over _all_ of Kanto. A week later, we set foot to join our branch in Johto. The region fell too in time. And I thought to myself, why stop there? I have the whole _world_ in front of me. Within two years, Hoenn and Sinnoh fell. Four, Unova and Kalos. And just before the fifth year, my world’s Alola surrendered to me. Yes, Ghetsis, I emerged victorious. I obtained everything that I ever wanted. But a man of ambition must always challenge himself to do his best, and because I pride myself on my ambition, I came here.”

“And what does a man of ambition like yourself plan to do with this world’s Alola?” Ghetsis questioned.

Giovanni gazed up. The red lights filtered down, darkening the flush on his face and bringing out the devilish gleam in his eyes. He laughed, a sound that shook the walls of the boardroom.

“I have many plans Ghetsis. Plans that go beyond even the _wildest_ of dreams.”


End file.
